TRUMP: ‘Evil thug’ suspected of bombing New York will probably ‘have room service’ while in custody

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at an Economic Club of New York luncheon in Manhattan.

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Thomson Reuters

Donald Trump railed against the US justice system at a rally in Florida on Monday after a suspect was apprehended in connection with bombings in New York and New Jersey.

“Today, we have caught this evil thug who planted the bombs,” Trump said. “Thank-you, law enforcement. Thank-you, police. Right. But the bad part – we will probably give him amazing hospitalization. He will be taken care of by some of the best doctors in the world. He will be given a fully modern and updated hospital room.”

Trump continued: “And he’ll probably even have room service, the way our country is. And on top of all of that, he will be represented by an outstanding lawyer. His case will go through the various court systems for years, and in the end people will forget and his punishment will not be what it once would have been.”

Police officers in Linden, New Jersey, apprehended 28-year-old Ahmad Khan Rahami after a shootout late Monday morning. He was wanted in connection to three incidents throughout the weekend: a bombing along the route of a New Jersey charity race Saturday morning, a bombing Saturday night in New York City that injured 29 people, and the discovery of additional bombs in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on Sunday night.

Rahami was charged with five counts of attempted murder of a law-enforcement officer on Monday in relation to the shootout. Prosecutors were still deciding on charges related to the bombings, and no motive in the attacks had been revealed, though public officials have begun to suggest terrorism, with Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York telling CNN on Monday morning that he “would not be surprised if we did have a foreign connection to the act.”

Trump said that while the country needed fair trials, it also needed “just and very harsh punishment” for terrorists.

“We must also use whatever lawful methods are available to obtain information from the apprehended suspect to get information before it’s no longer timely,” Trump said.

The New York billionaire has previously advocated interrogation techniques such as waterboarding.

Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, also railed against Hillary Clinton, his Democratic rival, in his speech.

“Hillary Clinton is a weak and ineffective person, and I will tell you if you choose Donald Trump, these problems are going to go away far, far greater than anybody would think,” Trump said. “Believe me.”

He said that America’s enemies wanted Clinton to be president.

“They want her so badly to be your president – you have no idea,” Trump said. “It will be a field day.”

Clinton on Monday characterized Trump in much the same way, telling reporters: “We know that Donald Trump’s comments have been used online for recruitment of terrorists. We’ve heard that from former CIA director Michael Hayden, who made it a very clear point when he said Donald Trump is being used as a ‘recruiting sergeant’ for the terrorists. The kinds of rhetoric and language that Mr. Trump has used is giving aid and comfort to our adversaries.”